Archive for November 15th, 2007

Barry Bonds was indicted Thursday for perjury and obstruction of justice, charged with lying when he told a federal grand jury that he did not knowingly use performance-enhancing drugs. “During the criminal investigation, evidence was obtained including positive tests for the presence of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances for Bonds and other athletes,” the indictment read. This will certainly come as a complete shock to the entire sports community.

Heat oven to 400°F. Remove turkey from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Remove giblets and neck; reserve neck. Rinse out turkey’s cavity and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels. Trim most of excess fat and skin from neck and cavity, and make 3-inch slits through the skin where the legs meet the breast.

Rub turkey all over with 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, then season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Season cavity with salt and pepper, and place 1 onion half, 1 celery piece, and 2 garlic cloves inside.

Place turkey in a large roasting pan. Arrange neck and remaining onions, celery pieces, and garlic cloves in the pan, and place in the oven. Roast turkey for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F. Every 45 minutes, baste bird with pan drippings.

About 45 minutes before turkey is finished or when the internal temperature of the inner thigh reaches 145°F, cut pears in half and remove cores and stems. Brush each half with remaining vegetable oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove turkey from the oven and overlap bacon strips across breast and around legs. If desired, secure bacon strips about 1 inch from edges with toothpicks. Arrange pear halves in the roasting pan and return turkey to the oven.

Roast turkey until the internal temperature of the inner thigh reaches 155°F. Remove from the oven and let rest uncovered while you prepare the gravy, or at least 30 minutes before carving. Remove pears to a serving platter, reserve onions, and discard any remaining solids in the roasting pan.For the gravy:

Place 4 pear halves and 1 onion half in a food processor and purée until smooth, about 2 minutes. Reserve.

Make a roux by melting butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once butter is completely melted, add flour and whisk continuously until well combined. Cook until flour loses its raw flavor and starts to emit a toasty aroma, about 2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth, add herbs and pear purée, and bring to a simmer.

Pour off as much grease as you can from the roasting pan without sacrificing any juices and set the pan over two burners over medium heat. When pan juices begin to sizzle, slowly pour in pear cider and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a flat spatula. Add cider mixture to gravy and stir to combine. Simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper; strain gravy through a fine mesh strainer. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

Crowne Plaza hotels are generally not that old. However, as needs must, even the mid-scale 14-story hotels get blowed up when it’s time for progress. Such was the case in Houston, on Main near Holcombe. 1,200 pounds of explosives and a push of the button and the building was a pile of rubble. But the first rule of demolition is to make sure that the site is clear before you hit the boom button. Police searched the site of thr hotel implosion after home video indicated someone may have been inside when it went down, KPRC Local 2 reports. The home video showed a shadow inside the building moments before it was destroyed on Sunday. Investigators said a police dog made a hit on something in the rubble. Detectives said they would further examine the site on Thursday. Oops.

No rest for the criminal, er, weary. O.J. Simpson will again stand trial. He could go to prison for the rest of his life and a few of his compatriots have copped pleas. Too bad Johnny C is dead. O.J. could use another catchy closing rhyme.